Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Bread, again, some more.

Yes, I made the bread again. This recipe has become quite the Internet phenomenon! This time I made some notable changes and the results were worth mentioning.

From Rose, I got the idea to sub 3 Tbsp. of whole wheat flour for an equal amount of white flour. Then I watched the video one more time before they started charging for it, and noticed that Jim Lehey just scoops the flour out with his measuring cup--rather than lightly spooning flour into the cup, as I've been taught to do. Using this method, I am probably using more flour, which left me with a much more manageable dough. I was also much more generous with the flouring of the dough and surfaces. Lastly, I used 1.5 cups of water, as was called for in the video, but not the recipe.

My dough, as I mentioned, was much easier to handle and behaved as it was supposed to. The resulting bread was another triumph and I can't wait to make it again and again and again. Sadly, for this go I was so swept up in the results that I didn't take a picture (horrors!), but it rose more and had a terrific flavor.

So I haven't made it yet, but plan on it this weekend. I'm thinking about adding flavorings, such as cheese. Maybe shredded cheddar, asiago or grated parmigiano. How do you think that would work with this recipe?

That might work, but I just don't know. For one, the long fermenting time might make the cheese prone to molding if you mix it in the dough beforehand. I've also heard that it puts your bread in danger of sticking. I think it sounds delicious, though, and worth trying!

eww you're right, I didn't think of the cheese sitting there at room temp surrounded by growing yeast for 18+ hours. Hmm.. okay either plain for the first time so I can see how this goes and then for the 2nd time maybe an addition of cheese at flip stage before baking? We'll see and I'll let you know! Wish me luck ;)

Check out Anna Marie variation athttp://web.mac.com/stone0579/iWeb/piaandco/Blog/DE69AF5C-0129-4075-B93A-EA844E41436A.htmlI think if you want to try cheese, I would suggest adding it at the last rise where you do the folding to shape it. Then the cheese is only out two hours for that last rise. That shouldn't be a problem. Just think walnuts and blue cheese.

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Now with 110% more employment! This former corporate drone now happily takes on cooking projects, writes restaurant reviews for Cityview magazine, and is trying her best to be a girl wonder in the TV business.